The present invention relates to an electrical connector apparatus and method and especially to an electrical connector for coupling to an insulated electrical conductor having a flat one piece gripping collar for holding an electrical conductor to the electrical connector.
In the past, a wide variety of electrical wire connectors have been provided for connecting to wire ends. In a typical connector, the end of the wire is stripped of insulation and the bare wire is inserted into a connector where it can be soldered or clamped to or otherwise attached to the connector. It is also common to coat or tin the ends of an electrical conductor, with the insulation stripped from the end thereof, with a thin coat of solder. A wide variety of connectors have also been provided which removably hold a wire end to a connector.
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,814 for an Electrical Connector provides an electrical connector for coupling to an insulated electrical conductor which includes an insulated housing having threaded bores with a tapered portion therein. An electrical conductive prong extends into the housing bore for receiving an insulated electrical conductor thereon. The threaded compression collar is threadedly attached in the bore and has a bore extending axially therethrough for insertion of a wire therethrough and into the housing bore and onto a pointed prong extending into the bore. The compression collar compresses into the tapered portion of the bore to grip the electrical conductor extending therethrough.
Prior wire connectors can be seen in the following U.S. Patents. The Chang patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,333, is for a wire connector having two concentric sockets adapted to be assembled one into the other. The inner socket has a conductive needle mounted therein for sliding a wire end into each end of the connector. In the U.S. patent to Danner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,320, a cathode cable assembly is connected to a ball-like cathode member by stripping the end portion of the cable and inserting the end portion into a sleeve which is pressed into an undersized tapered socket and which has a pointed pin therein. The U.S. patent to Friedhelm, U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,760, has a cable connector for a piezoelectric cable having an insulated cable end which is inserted into a sleeve. In the U.S. patent to Berman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,233, an electrical connector and a method of connecting an electrical cable to the connector is provided for connecting one or more insulated electrical cords or cables together. The insulated cable ends can be inserted into the receptacles on either end and onto a prong of electrically conductive material so that the prong is an electrical contact with the wire of an insulated cord end. A container of adhesive material on the end of the receptacle is released from the container to create a physical bond between the cord and the connector to hold the cord within the connector. In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,201 an electrical connector is coupled to an insulated electrical conductor without stripping the end of the insulated conductor. The insulated wire is held with a spring clamp which allows the wire to be released.
The Komada U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,458 is for a method of connecting a co-axial cable to a connector having a plurality of connections. The Herrington U.S. Pat. No. 916,313 is for a spark plug having a spark plug wire connector on the end thereof. The Despard U.S. Pat. No. 3,097,035 is for another electric cable connector for use between sections of flexible multi-conductor cable as used with portable electric power consuming equipment and a fixed power outlet. The Polidori U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,147 has a connector for underground utility applications.
The Gutter et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,126, is a panel mount ground termination apparatus for termination of the outer shielding conductor of electrical cable. A cable end is passed through a closure member and through a compression member and through a termination member and into a housing. The closure member is attached to the housing to compress the termination member onto the cable. Other cable connectors can be seen in Horak, U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,007, for a three-piece coaxial cable connector and in the Song U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,722, and in the Gaver, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,248 for a solderless coaxial connector plug.
The present invention is for an electrical connector and a method of making an electrical connector which connector has a housing having a bore therein and a housing cap having an aperture therethrough sized for an electrical conductor to pass through. An electrical conductor gripping collar is positioned between the housing and housing cap for gripping an electrical conductor threaded through the housing cap, through the gripping collar, and into the housing bore. The gripping collar is formed of a single generally flat piece of material having at least one opening therein having a plurality of gripping fingers extending from the edge of the opening for gripping an electrical conductor threaded therethrough for holding the electrical conductor to the electrical connector. The gripping collar can advantageously be made of flat material which has been stamped with a shaped die to punch a hole in the material and form the gripping fingers. The gripping collar can also be made to penetrate the insulation of the electrical conductor or to grasp the electrical conductor without penetrating the insulation as desired.